what dreams we are made of
by free.song
Summary: All they ever wanted was a family, and so they chose each other.


Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No profit is made from this fanwork.

Author's Note: Written a while back for the shoot_the_curl challenge on Lj.

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><p>"Ah, ah. Eyes closed, and <em>no peeking<em>," Grace orders, one finger poking viciously into Danny's chest. Steve snickers from beside him, and Danny promptly elbows him in the ribs. It's no less than he deserves, sneaky goof that he is, and Danny just _knows_ he had something to do with this. Collaborators; the pair of them.

It isn't something he really wanted to celebrate, turning fifty, though it is probably some kind of miracle he lived to see it. Steven has never lost his tendency towards crazy, even now, after all the years of Danny's influence, and there's just no hope for him. Danny has long since decided to accept the crazy, and go with it because if you can't beat them, you just have to join them, obviously.

Grace and Steve, who are very, very scary when planning things together, Danny has seen them in action, okay, he _knows_, absolutely refused to just let the day pass uncelebrated, which doesn't surprise Danny even a little. He's so, so wise to their ways after all these years. Which is why he just sighs, put-upon, and indulges them, even though he shouldn't because it only encourages them. Like he's ever had an easy time saying no to either of them, though.

"What are you-" he blinks, feeling sand beneath his bare feet, and he turns towards where he thinks his daughter, and her step-father, are, and glares. "If I end up in the water, or _buried in sand_, the two of you are _so, so dead_, okay, I just want you realize that certain actions have these things called _consequences_," he starts, makes a face, and sighs. 'Ugh, who am I even kidding, I've been trying to teach you both this concept for years, and I'm convinced it's never gonna stick, anyway, but it is my _birthday_, and you are not allowed the crazy today, okay?"

"Danno," they say, together, and he can _hear_ them roll their eyes, and he knows they're both grinning at him, wide and happy, and he huffs a little.

"What am I even going to do with you two, huh?" God knows he can't live without either of them. It tears him up every time Gracie's leave is up, and she has to head back out, but well, it's not like he doesn't light up with pride every time he sees her in uniform. She's so like Steve, and he still doesn't have a name for the look Steve gets sometimes, when he remembers Grace is following in his footsteps, carving a path for herself through stormy seas, and wild waves. Danny knows, though, that it was Steve who taught Grace to love the ocean, to feel at home there, and it doesn't surprise him that she chose this life. They're both happy she's home, though, and it's really the only gift Danny needs.

"Oh c'mon, Danny," Steve says, the warmth of his hand between Danny's shoulder blades bringing him back to the here and now, "it's not like fifty is the end of the world."

"Says you," Danny grumbles. "I'm getting old; old, and rickety, and falling apart," he complains, and Grace laughs.

"You aren't old, Dad," she tells him, leaning into him from the side to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek. She giggles when Steve does the same, and Danny's eyes may be covered up right now, but he can see the stupid, goofy grin on Steve's face just fine.

"Yeah, Danno," he says, nudging Danny with a shoulder as he tangles their fingers together, and Danny will never get tired of this, right here; his two favorite people in the world beside him, "you're not old." His hair is more silver than blond, and there are laugh lines, and all the aches a life of law enforcement has given him, but it's worth it, every bit, and he can't help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it, you goofs. What's this surprise you've dragged me onto the beach to see, huh?" They know it's a token protest, that he doesn't mean it; there's now where else he'd rather be than here, with them.

"Okay Dad," Grace says, tugging off the old tie they'd wrapped around his eyes for good measure, not trusting him not to peek, apparently, "you can look now."

It takes his breath away, a little, what he sees out on the beach waiting for him; for them, and he's long since come to terms with the huge family he's made for himself here on the island, the _'ohana_ that took him, and Grace, and made a space for them without reserve. It's still stirs something warm in his chest, though, to see them all together like this, and Steve chuckles low beside him, giving him a little shove towards the beach, and all the warm affection waiting for him there.


End file.
